Book-supporter



BOOK SUPPORTER.

No. 586,391. Patented July 13, 1897.

WITNESSES xw MW 04 ATTORNEYS.

ma man's PEIERS cu. mmournq. wuamwou, n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

HENRY L. PINNEY AND FRANKLIN LENZNER, OF CASS CITY, MICHIGAN.

BOOK-SUPPORTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 586,391, dated July 13, 1897. Application filed September 3, 1896. Serial No. 604,700- (No model.)

To (0Z6 whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY L. PINNEY and FRANKLIN LENZNER, of Cass City, in the county of Tuscola and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improve- I merits in Book-Supporters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to improvements in book-supporting devices, intended more particularly for attachment to chairs; and it consists, essentially, of a pivoted arm which may be attached to an arm of the chair and which may be adjusted in elevation thereon, and carries a device for the immediate support of the book, which may be adjusted in position and at an angle to suit the reader.

The object of our inventionis to provide a device for supporting books which may be at tached to arm-chairs of various kinds without seriously marring the chairs and which may be adjusted to differentheights, positions, and angles to suit the desire of the user.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of our device attached to a chair. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the supporting device. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the supporting device. Fig. i is a detail showing the method of fastening the tube A to the chair-seat, and Fig. 5 is a detail of the device for fastening the tube to the arm of the chair.

A tube A, of metal, is attached to the seat of the chair by any convenient means. In the drawings we have shown a small bracket 13, made of sheet metal, which raises the support for the tube slightly above the seat. This sort of a fastening is intended to be used in connection with chairs which are cushioned, the object being to raise the support for the tube so as to clear the cushion and also to make the attachment for this bracket far enough to one side so as to clear the cushion.

The upper end of the tube is fastened to the arm of the chair by means of a clip or rod of any convenient shape. lVe have shown a rod C, which consists of a plain bar of metal bent about the tube and clamped thereon by a bolt passing through each side, as shown in Fig. 5. \Vithin this tube is placed a bar D, the upper end of which is bent at right angles to the lower portion and forms a swinging arm D, upon the outer end of which is fixed a bookholding device. The vertical portion of this arm, which has a snug fit in the tube, has a series of saw-tooth-shaped notches d surrounding the bar. These are made with the square portion of the notch uppermost.

A spring-catch E is pivoted to the outside of the tube and has a catch 6, which projects through a hole in the side of the tube A and engages the notches d in the bar. This prevents the bar from sliding down in the tube when the catch E is in engagement therewith. The lower one of the rings or notches sursounding the bar D is made sqdare at both ends. The object of this is that the catch E will engage this notch and prevent the bar from being entirely drawn out of the tubennless the catch E is pressed withthe finger to release the same. \Vith the other notches the bar may be simply pulled up, the sloping surface of the ring engaging the end of the catch E and pressing the same outward.

The upper end of the tube A has four 1ongitudinal slits at extending a short distance down from the end. The tube is also screwthreaded at this end and has a nut F screwing thereon. These two are so arranged that when the nut F is screwed upon the tube it will compress the split portion of the tube upon the rod, and thus bind it so that it will not readily turn in the tube. This is for the purpose of looking the arm D of the bar -D so that it will not shift its position after it has once been adjusted.

The outer end of the arm D has a vertical pin D and upon this pin is placed an arm G. This arm carries the board H, which supports the book. This board H is pivoted at its lower end to the arm G and is adjustable in its angle upon the arm G by means of the screw-threaded rod J. This rod J is pivoted at its upper end to the under side of the board H and at its lower end is surrounded by a nut L. This nut is supported, pivotally, upon the arm G, the pivot being shown at L. By turning the nut L upon the screw-threaded rod J the board may be raised or lowered and the angle of the book adjusted to suit the reader.

Pivoted to the under side of the board H and near the upper edge thereof are the wires M. The outer ends of these wires are bent upward and then toward the center, as shown at M, so that the ends thereof may be made to rest upon the upper surface of the-board II. The lower or under ends of the wires after passing through the eyes N are bent to one side, so as to form an extension M which is at that side of the pivot opposite the ends M. A spring 0 is fixed upon the under side of the board H and presses upon this extension M The tendency of the spring 0 is to hold the ends M down upon the leaves of the book resting on the board H.

When it is desired to turn another leaf or for any purpose to get the ends M out of the way, they may be turned upward and over the back of the board H until the extension M has passed to a position relatively oppo site to that shown in Fig. 2. In this case the ends M will be held above the board H and where they would not interfere with a book placed thereon. This will not always be necessary to simply turn a leaf, but may be done, if desired.

lVith the mechanism described it will be possible to adjust the book to almost any position which may be desired. It may be swung in or out, closer to or farther away from the reader, and the angle adjusted from almost a fiat to nearly a vertical position. The device may also be readily attached to or detached from a chair without perceptibly marring the same. The upper portion, including the swinging bar D and everything carried by the same, may be readily removed from the chair without removing the tube A.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In a book-holder, a board forming a support for the book and carrying means for ad-.

this rear offset portion, substantially as described.

2. In a book-holder, a swinging arm adj ustably pivoted on a vertical pivot, an arm pivoted thereon, and a board pivoted at its lower edge to the free end of said pivoted arrn,.in combination with a rod of adjustable length supporting the upper portion of said board and consisting of a screw-threaded rod pivoted to the board, and a nut upon said rod, and a pivoted support for said nut upon the pivoted arm, substantially as. shown and described.

HENRY L. PINNEY. FRANKLIN LENZNER.

\Vi tncsses:

H. W. SEED, E. H. PINNEY. 

